Prepare for Reconciliation with a Confession Lapbook for Kids

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Preparing for First Reconciliation can often cause anxiety for kids. One of the reason they are anxious is that confession is new to them, so they aren't sure what to say and do. Help alleviate their stress and prepare them for reconciliation with a confession lapbook designed for kids. 

This lapbook helps organize all the steps to confession from preparing beforehand to what prayers to say during their time in the confessional. 

A confession lapbook could be created in so many different situations - during a First Reconciliation retreat, in a Catholic school or religious formation classroom, at home with parents, in a homeschool classroom, etc.

We've used one at our church during our First Reconciliation retreat. Children rotate through stations with their parents. At the lapbook station they assemble the lapbook with their parents and then a teacher guides them through each of the parts of the book and explains what they are and how to use them. Students can then bring the lapbook to their First Reconciliation (and any future reconciliations if they still want the support.)

The lapbook is a great way to support students and make the sacrament less stressful. It helps them to know exactly what to say and do, so they aren't worried about the order of events and can focus on making a good confession. 

Materials Needed for Confession Lapbook

Confession Lapbook PDF (available to purchase HERE)

File Folder (I like to use purple for this but any standard file folder will do)

Crayons/colored pencils/markers

Glue

Scissors

Stapler

If you are preparing this ahead of time for a class or a retreat where you will be short on time, you might want to do the prep work and cut out each of the pages ahead of time. Then students can focus on just gluing everything in, coloring it, and then you can explain all the parts. 

To Assemble the Confession Lapbook

Open the file folder and then fold each side until they meet in the middle. When you open it, you should have three sections: a large section in the middle and a flap on each side.

Choose the cover you want to use. Depending on how your church refers to it, you can use My Confession Lapbook, My Reconciliation Lapbook, The Sacrament of Penance, The Sacrament of Reconciliation or The Sacrament of Confession. 


Next, you will select a picture to put in the center of the lapbook. I've included several different options to try to match how your church might do it. And for some children, how their first reconciliation is set up might look different from how they will look after that. You decide what picture would be the most helpful. The whole point of the picture is to help students (especially your visual learners) have an idea of the order of things so they know what to expect.

Next, you will assemble a flipbook for preparing for confession. This will go on the left side of the lapbook. These steps will help children prepare for confession by reflecting on their recent behavior and actions.

They will have a scripture passage about forgiveness and reconciling yourself to God that they can reflect on. Then they can read through the Ten Commandments and a kid friendly Examination of Conscience to think about their past sins that they need to confess.

Decide which Act of Contrition you want your students to use. Some will have this memorized, but it is also in the lapbook for students who need to just read it. I've included 5 different versions, but I also made an editable blank version that you can open with Adobe and type in if you teach a different version of the Act of Contrition.

Assemble a flip book of tools to use during confession. This would include the Act of Contrition and the "What should I say?" flap. On that one, there is a loose script to follow so students (especially nervous students) can anticipate what the priest says, what your response is, and the general order of things. I always remind students that it will not be this exact phrasing and that the priest will help and guide you, but it is a general idea of how things will go and what to say.

Last step is to add the pocket in the bottom right corner. This is a spot where students can write on an index card or other similar sized piece of paper what they want to say during confession. They can slide it into the envelope for privacy and pull it out during confession. Hopefully this helps relieve any anxiety that they might have over remembering what they want to say. 

And there you have it! A resource that keeps everything organized to help relieve any anxiety and uncertainty for children making their First Reconciliation. The best part is that this confession lapbook can help prepare students for any reconciliation, not just their first. It is a tool that can be used over and over. 

Purchase The Confession Lapbook HERE